Corona Times -A personal talk

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"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again." reminds Maya Angelou.

It conveys that whatever has happened cannot be unlived or changed;

whether happy, sad or painful it is over and done and we must part with it in acceptance.

But while we cannot change it; we can try to protect us and those around us from it if repeated again only by facing it with courage and strength to go at it more fearlessly this time.

The world is going through enormous pain and suffering right now with uncertainty looming around and panic being followed. The spread of the virus has reached new heights while we have no clue about its identity and techniques. Countries are under lockdown. Leaders are restless leaving their people vulnerable. During times like this, I wonder what is it that we need to do. Should we forget the external and be calm inside. or Should we comprehend the situation and do something about it.

I was worried and desperate each time I read or watched the news. I bet most of you who read this might be going through the same phase like me or must be watching the apocalyptic movies that google suggested you to watch during this outbreak times. While some of us might be enjoying our time at home others might be finding it difficult to cope up with the newly posed threat of being alone. But one of the few difficulties which I heard and faced these days is about the kids and the elders we have at home. My sister complains each day how difficult it is to make the kids stay at home while I complain to her how I am unable to make my father stay at home. One is not old enough to understand while the other too old to listen. Yet we keep fighting each day and do our best to protect them because we love them a way too much and Good News! we succeeded and both started to listen to us.

While we are at it, I wonder how each one of you are spending your time these days since we all have to stay indoors. Perhaps most of you might be binge-watching the TV shows you have missed till date and some of you might be swiping your mobile every now and then to see if the virus is being contained so you can go back to your old lifestyle. Staying at home for long periods is not new to me in fact it is not new to any CA student. We got over ourselves a way long back and though sometimes it gets burdensome we have our own ways to conquer them. but let me tell you all something, The story of how once upon a time I spent my time alone. I know its fun to watch memes and read news and panic about things that we are not sure of but there comes a time where you have to sit with yourself and face the thoughts your mind poses you. During those times I want to tell you that it is better you read a book and watch something that makes you feel good or talk to someone instead of watching the dystopian mess we have online. I read too much. Books or news or about anything and everything. So times will definitely get better and our work will be soon resumed and it is your responsibility to take care of yourself till then. My mother once told me that no suffering lasts forever so even though it's hopeless; I urge you to have faith. Italy and Spain are going through so much these days, We can see it in pictures and their messages, Might be disturbing but being human is to respond to them and pass on our condolences and prayers. At the same time learn from their history to fight our future.

If there was something on the Internet which I read and which has given me comfort in the past few days; It was the speech of Fareed Zakaria, The American Indian Journalist and international spokesperson who came out with the facts of how we overcame so many things and progressed from the past decade. Here is an excerpt from his speech.

"When I tell you that we live in an age of progress, I am not urging complacency — far from it. We have had daunting challenges over the last 100 years: a depression, two world wars, a Cold War, 9/11, and global economic crisis. But we have overcome them by our response. Human action and human achievement have managed to tackle terrible problems.

We forget our successes. In 2009, the H1N1 virus broke out in Mexico. Now, if you looked back at the trajectory of these kinds of viruses, it is quite conceivable this one would have spread like the Asian flu in 1957 or 1968, in which 4,000,000 people died. But this time, the Mexican health authorities identified the problem early, shared the information with the WHO, learned best practices fast, tracked down where the outbreak began, quarantined people, and vaccinated others. The country went on a full-scale alert, banning any large gatherings. In a Catholic country, you couldn’t go to church for three Sundays. Perhaps more importantly, you couldn’t go to soccer matches either. The result was that the virus was contained, to the point where, three months later, people wondered what the big fuss was and asked if we had all overreacted. We didn’t overreact; we reacted, we responded, and we solved the problem.

There are other examples. In the 12 months following the economic peak in 2008, industrial production fell by as much as it did in the first year of the depression. Equity prices and global trade fell more. Yet this time, no Great Depression followed. Why? Because of the coordinated actions of governments around the world. 9/11 did not usher in an age of terrorism, with al-Qaida going from strength to strength. Why? Because countries cooperated in fighting them and other terror groups, with considerable success. When we can come together, when we cooperate, when we put aside petty differences, the results are astounding.

So, when we look at the problems we face — economic crises, terrorism, climate change, resource scarcity — keep in mind that these problems are real, but also that the human reaction and response to them will also be real. We can more easily map out the big problem than the thousands of individual actions governments, firms, organizations, and people will take that will constitute the solution."

Fareed Zakaria addressed the Harvard Alumni Association during the Afternoon Exercises at Harvard's 361st Commencement.

So do not panic we are going in the right direction and soon we will find the light that can destroy this dark and also there are so many ways we can do our part to help  make tomorrow a better place for all of us. Pick something and start helping. We may all come from a humble beginning but it's the end; quite often, that people always remember.

So be kind and patient and compassionate to those around you and now is the time your family needs you the most. Listen to them because Ruskin Bond once said

"The world keeps on changing, but there is always something, somewhere, that remains the same."

and your family is definitely one of them.

We are all different and

however bad life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at because

While there is life, there is hope.

 ~~~~Stephen Hawking.

Love You.

Dhariyaa aka Shravanthi